


Betcha' Feel Proud About It, Baby

by Error401



Series: In and Out [12]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Drinking & Talking, Gen, Glenn's couch should get its own tag, M/M, Mild Language, Protectiveness, You won't like him when he's angry, no zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-07 00:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Error401/pseuds/Error401
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting your call,” Deputy Grimes said uncertainly, taking his hat from his head and running a hand through his hair before replacing it again. “Can I ask if it has somethin’ to do with that?” he questioned, nodding towards the bandage on Glenn’s temple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Betcha' Feel Proud About It, Baby

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to get this out, I kind of lost my inspiration after you-know-what this past week. Hopefully, I can ease some withdrawal symptoms if I can keep writing after the finale tomorrow, depending on my emotional stability. (DAMN YOU KIRKMAN)

Glenn inhaled deeply, tightening his fingers around the knob a little more in order to steady himself before twisting it and swinging the door open. He forced his eyes from the floor and locked gazes with the deputy standing on the other side. He was dressed in casual clothes, and it made Glenn feel a lot better to see that he wasn’t carrying his weapon. “Please…come in.” He moved aside, allowing his guest to enter, unconsciously rubbing at his bruises.

“I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting your call,” Deputy Grimes said uncertainly, taking his hat from his head and running a hand through his hair before replacing it again. “Can I ask if it has somethin’ to do with that?” he questioned, nodding towards the bandage on Glenn’s temple.

“Why don’t we…ah…sit,” Glenn said nervously, gesturing towards his couch. Grimes nodded slowly, walking to his couch and taking a seat, making sure to keep some distance between the two of them, like Glenn was a skittish animal. “Can I get you a beer, or…coffee?” Glenn asked.

“A beer’d be mighty nice,” Grimes said. “I’m off duty, and I have a feelin’ this is a talk that’ll need some smoothin’.”

Glenn nodded and retrieved two cans from the fridge, which was stocked fuller than it had ever been thanks to Daryl’s hunting and his constant need for booze. “I hope you don’t mind the cheap stuff,” Glenn said, handing a can off to Grimes as he stood awkwardly in front of him. This wasn’t something he could do sitting down. He needed space, he needed to move. 

Grimes laughed, popping the tab and taking a big swallow. “Practically lived offa’ this stuff in college, like water.” He stared at the can for a second before catching Glenn’s eyes with his own. “But I’m not here to drink your beer.”

“No,” Glenn agreed, resting the cool can against his forehead. “Look, there’s not…If it was just me…If it was just me, I could deal. I could take it. But he’s bringing people I care about into this, and…” He pulled the can away, rolling it between his hands.

“You’re talking about Shane,” Grimes said quietly, taking another sip. “After I got your call, I checked his desk.” He reached into his back pocket and threw something at Glenn, who barely caught it, dropping the beer can in the process. “This was in the drawer.”

“My phone,” Glenn said, immediately recognizing the cheap, scratched plastic cover. “He did have it, after all.” He wasn’t sure if he was feeling numb, or if he was just too numb to feel anything.

Grimes sighed and pulled his hat off again, this time leaving it sitting on the couch next to him. “He’s not who he used to be.”

“Is that supposed to be an excuse?” Glenn said quietly. “He attacked me, you know. Twice. Trying to make Daryl mad so that he’d do something stupid in retaliation. Is this how the police are supposed to operate? Not caring who they hurt so long as the bad guy gets put away? From where I’m standing, you’re no better than the people you go after.”

“I didn’t realize that he’d gotten so out of control,” Grimes argued. “I kept lookin’ for the guy I was best friends with, kept tryna’ see him still in there somewhere…”

“You were there when he tried to put my head through a table!” Glenn growled. “That didn’t set off any warning lights?”

“I know!” Grimes yelled, making Glenn flinch back. He immediately backed down, his face apologetic. “Look, I realize now that I can’t defend him anymore. He’s gone way too far.” He drew his eyes down Glenn’s body. “Are you…are you okay? You ain’t hurt nowhere else?”

Glenn frowned, pulling his sleeves down further over his forearms. “Depends on how you define it, I guess. I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting him to be there. I can’t sleep, I can’t even eat like I used to. Daryl’s probably the only reason I even…” he shook his head. “Your friend…whatever he used to be…right now he’s a monster.”

Grimes frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck, brow deeply furrowed. “He’s obsessed with the Dixons, has every case of theirs memorized down to the tiniest details. I only ever seen him get like this once before.”

“Well…how did he stop then? Maybe if—“

“The suspect died,” Grimes said grimly. “He only stopped ‘cause the guy died.”

“Fuck,” Glenn muttered, worrying at his bottom lip. “You have to report him, or something!”

Grimes shook his head. “It don’t work that way. You ain’t filed no reports when he attacked you. There’s no evidence against him, nothing but your word.”

“You don’t believe me?” Glenn said. “What, you think I bashed my own head against a window for kicks?”

“No, I do…” Grimes sighed. “But Internal Affairs is going to need a hell of a lot more than that to suspend an officer who has the highest clearance rate in the department. Cops protect their own.”

“Please,” Glenn said desperately, taking a step forward. “You have to—“ Before he even knew what happened, he was on his knees and hands on the floor, barely managing to catch himself from smashing his face into the linoleum. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the can of beer which he’d dropped earlier, now rolling under the table. “Shit,” he cursed. His old bruises were finally getting better, and he just couldn’t stop adding to them. 

“Hey, you alright?” Grimes asked, concerned, standing from the couch.

“I’m fine,” Glenn said, gingerly flexing his muscles to see if anywhere hurt too badly before he attempted moving.

“Let me help—“ Grimes said, wrapping a hand around one of Glenn’s biceps.

Glenn froze, the situation far too familiar to his body. “Don’t touch me!” he ground out, right as the door opened.

“What the fuck?!” Daryl growled, the crossbow that had been resting over his shoulder now in his hands, loaded,drawn and aimed faster than could be followed with the eye. “Step. The fuck. Back,” he menaced, eyes narrowed to slits, muscles bulging in his arms.

“Whoa,” Deputy Grimes said, backing away from Glenn and raising his hands placatingly into the air. “Hey, let’s just calm down, now.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Daryl growled, keeping his bow trained on Grimes while he hurried over to where Glenn stared shocked from the floor. “Kid, you okay? This bastard do somethin’?” His eyes raked over Glenn desperately, looking for any sign of injury. “If he fuckin’ did somethin’…If he touched you—“

“No, Daryl,” Glenn said hastily, putting a hand on one of Daryl’s visibly shaking arms to try and calm some of his anger and get him to lower the bow. “I tripped. I just tripped! He was trying to help me up, that’s all. I swear!”

“This is all just a misunderstandin’,” Grimes said, eyeing the glinting arrow tip.

“He threaten’ you not to say anything?” Daryl asked quietly, not giving in to Glenn’s pressure on his arm. “That’s a shit story, even you have to admit it.”

“I know it sounds like I’m lying, but I’m not!” Glenn frowned, then quickly dove under his coffee table and retrieved the can. “See, I tripped over this! And you just…you walked in at the worst time…” Glenn sighed. “Would you please put that thing away?” Really, the last thing he needed was the murder of a cop in the middle of his living room.

Daryl glared at the deputy one last time before slowly, slowly, lowering his crossbow. Rick swallowed and lowered his hands as well, but kept his distance, the bow still loaded.

Glenn jumped a little when he felt Daryl’s warm fingers on his face, prodding the area around his temple to make sure his wound hadn’t reopened in the fall. “I’m fine,” Glenn said, rubbing at his cheeks to try and hide the flush that rose to them. “I thought you said you were gonna’ be gone all weekend on a hunt.”

“Hit my quota early,” Daryl said gruffly, eyeing Grimes as he dared to take a few steps closer to them. “You were gonna’ hide this from me?”

“I just wanted to talk to him,” Glenn said, taking Daryl’s proffered hand and climbing to his feet. “I knew you’d never agree to it. Deputy Grimes—”

“You fuckin’ bet I wouldn’t,” Daryl said darkly. “You can’t trust these people! None of ‘em!”

“I’m sorry about this,” Glenn said to the deputy. “He just…he didn’t mean…”

“I know he was tryna’ protect you,” Grimes nodded, reclaiming his hat from the couch. “Given what you’ve had to deal with on account ‘a me and my partner, I don’t blame him one bit. Mr. Rhee, Mr. Dixon, I’m gonna’ do my best to keep an eye on Shane. For what it’s worth…I’m sorry.” He tipped his hat to both of them, meeting Daryl’s suspicious glare with an apologetic one. 

“If he hurts anyone I care about again, I’m going to end him,” Daryl said. “That’s a fuckin’ promise.”

“Can you not threaten officers of the law?” Glenn hissed.

Grimes paused in the doorway, twisting the ring on his left ring finger. “If he hurts anyone again, I’ll help you.”


End file.
